Members of the Public Affairs Advisory Committee and 20 student scientists from across the country will descend on Washington this month for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Capitol Hill Day. Hill Day is one of our most exciting events. We will take thousands of steps in the marble hallways of Capitol Hill, attending more than 100 meetings with elected officials and their staffs all in one fast-paced day. Participants will discuss the need for increased and sustainable funding for the scientific enterprise and for Congress to put forth a legislative agenda to ensure a fertile environment for American science. Read more here.

As the calendar turns to March, appropriations season begins on Capitol Hill and advocates from every constituency kick their efforts into high gear. The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is no different, and we enter this spring with an invigorated interest in increasing the research budgets at the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. For fiscal year 2019, we are calling on Congress to increase federal investments in the life sciences by 8 percent at all agencies. Particularly of interest to the ASBMB community is that this would mean an increase of $2.6 billion to the NIH, $600 million to the NSF and $430 million to the DOE’s Office of Science. Read more here.

As 2017 turns to 2018, the Public Affairs Advisory Committee and your public affairs team look forward to an exciting year with new opportunities and programs to enhance the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s advocacy and science policy efforts. Read more here.

As 2017 winds to an end, we’re taking stock of what the year has delivered for the biomedical research community. We have had reasons to be frustrated, reasons to celebrate and reasons to scratch our heads. Let’s look back. Read more here.

The National Institutes of Health has issued not one but two proposals this year aimed at funding as many grants and as many investigators as possible, even if the pot of money for grants is not increasing. Specifically, NIH leaders are concerned about how to ensure that the research enterprise is taking the steps necessary to support the next generation of researchers. Read more here.

President Donald Trump’s first week in office gave us hints that his administration would view science differently than we were used to. It started with reports of gag orders restricting government scientists from speaking to the press and included a travel ban that trapped foreign-born scientists in pseudo-detention at airports across the country while their immigration statuses were scrutinized. Read more here.

The unfortunate reality of partisan politics and Congress’ inability to perform its usual duties has made the budget and appropriations process little more than the legislative version of a Rube Goldberg machine, where even the simplest and least contentious points are complicated by unnecessarily complex hurdles. Read more here.

Politics in 2017 has become a full-contact sport. Whether it’s the debate surrounding the future of health care, an ever-evolving policy on immigration or a never-ending stream of analyses related to the 2016 election, there is no lack of story lines spurring partisan political activities and filling the voicemails and email inboxes of policymakers. As the summer churns on and we reach the August recess, when members of Congress leave Washington to spend time in their home districts, opportunities emerge to talk about the issues important to you and to make a difference for your colleagues. Read more here .

uring the Public Affairs Advisory Committee’s town hall event at Experimental Biology 2017, the committee announced the launch of the Grassroots Advocacy Network. The network is intended to provide a host of advocacy options for American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology members across the country as well as to offer leadership opportunities for members who have a strong interest in being a voice for biomedical research. To date, nearly 200 of your colleagues from 35 states have signed up to be a part of the network. Read more here.

Last month, scientists from across this country and around the world marched in support of science. For many, it was their first time to advocate and make the case for the critical role that science plays in everyone’s lives. It was exciting to see such an impressive turnout. Read more here .

On April 22, people will gather in more than 300 cities across the U.S. and around the world for the March for Science . The goals of the march are many, but in general, it aims to celebrate science and its vital public service role, promote respect for research and the scientific method, and defend the importance of evidence-based thinking and decision-making. Read more here .

In 2015, Leonard Freedman, the founder and president of the Global Biological Standards Initiative, and colleagues published a report that claimed $28 billion worth of biomedical research is irreproducible. The amount accounts for more than 50 percent of all preclinical research grants. Read more here .

The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 requires the president of the United States to submit a budget to the U.S. Congress for each fiscal year. The law goes so far as to provide a deadline for the submission: It requires that “on or after the first Monday in January but not later than the first Monday in February of each year, the President shall submit a budget of the United States Government for the following fiscal year.” Read more here .

The ASBMB’s sustainability efforts are focused on achieving consensus among the stakeholders on important issues like science funding, regulation and training. Ben Corb and Chris Pickett provide some insight on ASBMB's efforts in this space.

June 2014 - A challenge reissuedTwo years ago, ASBMB Director of Public Affairs Ben Corb issued a challenge to ASBMB members to hold 100 meetings with their members of Congress during the summer recess. Now, we're issuing a new challenge to the members.